We are happy to announce that on June 14th the EU Council adopted a mandate for the European Commission to negotiate a free trade agreement between the European Union and the United States (TTIP) which completely excludes the audiovisual sector!

We are happy to announce that on June 14th the EU Council adopted a mandate for the European Commission to negotiate a free trade agreement between the European Union and the United States (TTIP) which completely excludes the audiovisual sector!

Negotiating a free trade agreement between the European Union and the United States treats the rights and privileges of all parties equally. For the first time the cultural sector was to be subjected to full liberalization, including the audiovisual industry, which has traditionally not been made a subject of free trade agreements. This would have created a range of risks, including: abolition of the rules governing radio and television broadcasters concerning so-called amounts of programs promoting Polishand European works, extending the scope of applicants of the national and regional film funds (grants from such institutions as PISF or its equivalent in other EU countries would be open to U.S. producers), and the elimination of programs that promote European works such as Eurimages or the former MEDIA and CULTURE (now Creative Europe).

An agreement in this form would have adversely affected the position of the Polish and European audiovisual marketin relations to the U.S. market. Fortunately the cultural exception was rescued in time.

Friday's decision wouldn’t have been taken without the vote of Poland and substantial suport from the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. We would like to express our gratitude to the authors and producers who have signed the petition addressed to the EU Commissioner for Trade on this issue. It is also thanks to the conscious, proactive approach of many Polish authors that the cultural diversity of Europe with its unique film heritage remained intact.